What the heck is 'Crank Yankers'???

beaker

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I did my weekly trip to the local Hot Topic recently, as they know Im the big Muppet fan. They pointed me to the corner of the entrance saying 'Oh you'll love this new Muppet stuff!'. So Im thinking 'yeah!' And when I get there I get greated by a bevy of 'Crank Yanker' merchandise....!?!?! Well, you kno wmy thoughts on Greg The Bunny, but now I have a clause in my MC contract that forbids me to ourright criticize something publicly before I see it.

Anyhoo...'adult' puppet shows are nothing new. Meet the Feebles the movie in 1989, this very strange puppet show on USA cable in 1994 I recall, and of course Greg The Bunny. The funny thing was, in 1987 it was DC Follies that really made me want to get into puppetry, being I began this fascination with world politics during the Iran Contra scandal and of course the Muppets on Nightline after the disasterous Oct 87' stock plunge. (Yes, even at 9 I had some out there interests)

Anyways, just wondering what 'Crank Yankers' is all about, and if its worth a viewing.

For the record, there are plenty of non JHC puppets I like...the Foster Farms chickens I find adorable, ALF, etc.
 

GWGumby

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It all depends on taste. Crank Yankers is prank phone calls reimagined with puppet actors. That's pretty much it. It's not a show for puppet fans, it's a show for prank fans. The puppets themselves are very Henson-esque but are often inolved in suggestive situations. There's even puppet nudity from time to time. It's all pretty juvenile--which is odd since it's labeled "mature." I've never understood that.

Anyway, I have personally watched a few episodes or at least a call or two in passing and have yet to be impressed. The calls tend toward crude and rude and seldomly elicit more than a few chuckles. This is Jerky Boys more than it is Meet The Feebles. If you enjoy that style of humor, you'll like this. If you like adult oriented puppets, stick with Feebles. I personally am not greatly entertained by someone calling an harrassing someone over the phone.
 

Buck-Beaver

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Well, everyone knows how I go on about Canadian puppet TV shows, but we seem to have a rep for making smarter Adult comedy with puppets up here. Two shows have emerged recently:

- Internet Slutts
- Puppets Who Kill

Both these shows are NOT for children.

Internet Slutts' premise is two characters sit in a basement and surf bizarre and disgusting websites. Although this sounds like a paper-thin concept, it's actually an inventive and funny little show (I saw a clip yesterday of one of the characters, Wally, getting hit by a car that was priceless).

Puppet Who Kill is about a group of deranged puppets sent to a halfway house to be rehabilated and become productive members of society (it doesn't work very well). See the thread on this elsewhere in the Puppetry Forum for more info.

I don't think either show is airing in the US (yet) but the websites are both pretty good and give you a good idea of what the shows are all about.
 
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